A multi-million pound company headquartered in an East Lancashire town is to be bought by a European technology giant.

Bosses at German company Bosch Building Technologies have announced plans to acquire the Protect Fire and Security Group, a company headquartered in Nelson which generated £125million in sales in the financial year to 2021.

Protec is one of the leading system integrators for security and fire detection and employs around 1,100 people at nine locations in the UK and the Netherlands.

The company’s services and products are used in industry, airports and railway stations.

Thomas Quante, president of Bosch Building Technologies, said his company would expand further into the European market with the acquisition of Protec.

He said: “With its market presence in the UK, Protec is an ideal complement for Bosch Building Technologies.

“Together, we want to continue to expand the business, building on Protec’s strong brand with an innovative product and service offering, the highly experienced management that is committed to the company, and the employees who have in-depth industry knowledge and a high level of customer service.”

Protec was founded in 1968 and has a successful trading history of over 50 years. The company maintains five sales locations in the UK in addition to its headquarters which are based at the Lomeshaye Industrial Estate in Nelson.

The company has a further three locations in the Netherlands.

The company is one of the leading system integrators for security and fire detection technology in the UK – the largest market in Europe besides Germany.

Bosch Building Technologies currently has the focus of its European system integrator business in Germany and the Netherlands. In addition, the Bosch division is also active as a system integrator in the USA and Asia.

Barrie Russel, founder of chairman of Protec, added: “With Bosch, we found a great partner who values our history, brand and our extraordinary team. I believe this cooperation will open up great opportunities for our company as well as our employees and lead into a successful future.”